Okay, this was in the beginning such a sweet story. (No spoilers ahead, just the premise) The girl has really no underlying reason to dress up as a boy. But finding herself recruited to be a eunuch the first alternative is to escape. The second one is to fail the tests and be kicked out. But "the flower scholar", the only person she knows at the palace find her amusing and wants her to stay so he keeps helping/sabotaging her efforts and therefore she's stuck in boys clothing at the palace. A sweet drama begins with a little palace intrigue thrown into it and love of course.
But then.... BAM... I was hit in the head with more sadness and melodrama I was expecting. I usually never watches anything too sad/melodramatic because of personal reasons. But it ends well and when I'm writing this, several months after I watched the whole drama, I don't have any bad feelings to it or any scenes that still makes me upset. So that gives me the conclusion that the dramas level of angst are probably okay for most people.
The actors are absolutely wonderful. Park Bo Gum as the crown prince hypnotized me with every move he did and every smile was like arrows trough my heart. This is the first of his dramas I've seen and he's really a charismatic actor that oozes sincerity in his acting. The kind of actor you go: "-Wait what, was he in that drama, are you sure?" Just because you were so convinced of the character that you forgot the actor playing it.
Kim Yoo Jung was obviously good as the female lead, she shines in every work she does. She is also one of those actors that work with everything she has and never feels stuffy or weird.
Their chemistry makes me hope for another drama with them.
I would recommend this drama and I have rewatched the cute parts several times. They still get to me because they are so pure and sweet
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I couldn't stop thinking about this drama, even after months of watching it. So, here I am, writing my very first review after dozens and dozens of dramas. 'Cause it deserves it. PLEASE, IF IT FEELS BORING IN THE FIRST EP, DONT STOP WATCHING, IT GETS SUPER ADDICTED, AT LEAST WATCH 2 FULL EPS!!!
You see, I saw this as a recommendation around half a year ago, and I watched the first episode and lost interest.
Worst decision I've ever made.
I continued watching after I saw a review praising it when I was looking for something to watch. And boy were they right. Here are their, and my, points.
-Great Acting
Okay so Ji Sung (Cha Do Hyun) is as amazing actor. He had to go through so many embarrassing situations with his multiple personalities. From the romantic scenes with Hwang Jung Eum to acting as a teenage girl. He did it so well at that! All of his personalities, so different, but he performed very, very well. If you were to cut to a random scene in episode ten where he acts as someone in his 40s, you would right away believe he was in his 40s. He's extremely talented and, honestly, this drama shows it off the best where he has to act as 7 different people.
He is, in my opinion, the best actor. From what I've seen, and his believability. And I've seen a crap load of k/c/t/j actors.
Hwang Jung Eum, of course, with her experience, is in my top 5. She's believable and she made me cry multiple, or a million, times.
-Chemistry
Okay, so this couple. lemme talk about this couple. THEY HAVE SUCH GOOD CHEMISTRY
Literally, I can't watch another drama with Ji Sung and Hwang Jung Eum without being disappointed cause literally they're so good.
They have the best chemistry out of all of the couples I've seen in Kdramas.
-Lovable Side Characters
You have to see the drama to get this one, but I grew extremely attached to all of the personalities. I've cried for all of them. Even the funny ones have a dark past for their existence.
and, of course, hwang jung eum's brother in this drama (he was in the What's Wrong with Secretary Kim drama) is very good. he's AMAZING, i cried for him. he's great. love him.
-Even Those Who Don't Like Romance Dramas Love It
I get really bored with just Romance. This drama actually has sooo many funny moments. I sometimes look at a Rom Com and think "where the hell's the com part? did it jump off a cliff?" but this one didn't miss out. you really love the couple
on top of that, it's super duper suspenseful. How the personalities appeared, when they'll appear, it's all so much suspense. They do so well with revealing it in a way that blows your mind.
EVERYTHING ALSO MAKES A TON OF SENSE AT THE END, MINDBLOWING FOR REAL
I recommend not leaving comments on (one of the buttons on the top row of the video screen, top right, right across from the comments) cause viewers love to give spoilers. I got spoiled a lot. Don't read comments on dramabeans recaps and ish. It'll ruin it for you.
Negatives:
Hwang Jung Eum in the beginning, and throughout the drama might get kind of annoying for you cause she focuses on the rom part more than the suspense until the very end, where she gets pulled into the mix.
Relationship part might annoy you.
You might not like it when a certain hot personality appears, or you might love it, idk but the entire audience loved him. (I fell in love with a certain 17 yr old brother, he appears l8r on, he gets a whole ep to himself. youll know. he's hot. glasses. )
There's really no negatives I can think of, it's so good.
STILL THOUGH TURN COMMENTS OFF IT RUINED EVERYTHING SO MANY TIMES. DON'T EVEN TURN IT ON TO CHECK IF EVERYONE'S RESPONDING TO A MOMENT CORRECTLY, IT'LL RUIN YOU JUST DON'T
ALSO THE SUBBERS DID SUCH A GR8 JOB, THEY SUBBED IT SO WELL, YOU GRAMMAR NAZI'S WILL BE SO PROUD CAUSE SOME DRAMA SUBBERS ACTUALLY ARE AN ACTUAL MESS BUT THESE GUYS AREN'T THANK YOU 7 DIMENSIONAL TEAM!!!
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A beautiful, original and profound drama about forgiveness.OK, I have a lot of words to say about this drama. But honestly your best choice is not to waste anymore time on reviews and just go watch it. I can’t possibly do it justice so just trust me when I say, it’s incredible and there’s no better use of your time. Go now!
The cinematography, soundtrack, screenplay and the handling of product placements are all fantastic. Then there’s IU, who has long been my favorite Kdrama actor. She’s always fabulous, with a dark intelligence that suggests hidden depths and an astonishing range. She chooses her roles well, but this is the part she was born to play - a complicated, twisted but charming supernatural who has the self awareness to see her situation clearly but lacks the humility to get herself out.
Astonishingly, the storyline bears no resemblance to a classic kdrama. There’s no male CEO, no stalker second female lead, or even a second male or female at all. It starts in the Josean era but rather than the usual “our story ended badly then but we’ll fix it this time around” it’s all a continuation. And then there’s this crazy plot structure where a seemingly minor character is actually the emotional heart of the story. And, it’s thematically consistent, with all the stories layering and adding clarity to the theme.
I used the word “profound” earlier and that’s a word I don’t think has ever occurred to me to apply to a kdrama, but damn if I didn’t learn something important from this one. In fact, I consider an alternate title for this drama could be “Forgiveness, You’re Doing It Wrong.”
OK, so now I’m going to go into literary analysis mode and talk about the story and the themes. I’ll try to do it without revealing any plot points but if you don’t want to know what the themes are -just go watch it now and avoid my boring rehash! (Seriously-go now!)
The first thing that needs to be said is, this is a thoroughly Buddhist storyline. And by that I don’t just mean in it’s use of traditional Korean cosmology (the goddess Mago, the grim reapers and other gods). The central message of Buddhism is that attachment is the root of all suffering and the premise of this drama - a hotel where the dead go to work through their attachments so they can pass peacefully to the next world is the perfect set up to explore all the myriad attachments that keep us humans stuck even when we know we need to let go. As they say multiple times in the drama, “it takes more strength to let go than to hold on.”
While the drama does take the time to explore other kinds of attachments, the main character’s story is about grudge holding and the inability to forgive. Ostensibly she’s waiting around to find the person who wronged her so she can destroy them and thus destroy herself. But, as she herself recognizes, “It’s not them that you hate. It’s yourself you loathe for not having been able to protect what matters most to you.”
Which brings me to what I think of as the “iceberg character.” There’s a seemingly minor character with very little screen time (the 10% of the iceberg you can see) whose story, when fully revealed, is the heartbreaking emotional center of the drama (the 90% you can’t see). At the end of episode 14, when you find yourself wrung out and damp beside an empty box of Kleenex, you’ll know you’ve hit it. Because the theme of this drama isn’t just that we need to forgive ourselves so we can let go and stop suffering, it’s that we need to forgive ourselves because we are at our most cruel and implacable when we’re projecting our self hate outwards onto others. Even though it isn’t really about them, the harm we cause is real.
And once again, I’m blown away by the psychological astuteness of kdrama writers. There’s one scene (slight spoiler ahead-sorry I can’t resist) where she takes the version of herself from the time of her trauma, the version of herself she most hates, (We see a heart broken young woman overwhelmed by circumstance, but we know she sees her as hatefully foolish and weak.) and turns her into a curse. It’s only when this cursed self is returned to her and she accepts it that she can begin to forgive This is literally the most perfect (and accurate) depiction of what traumatized people do with their memories and of what they have to do to heal.
And last of all, I want to say, I don’t watch dramas looking for the profound and life changing either, I’m looking for fun and entertainment. And this drama is a blast. Even though I was bawling all through episode 14, this isn’t the kind of devastating drama that’s practically a trauma to watch. (“the Smile Has Left Your Eyes”, I’m looking at you.) In fact, I turned right around and watched it again because it’s a perfect blend of fun, funny and deep.
Why are you still reading this? Go watch it now!
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MALE LEAD : jung il wook omg his acting was flawless. usually in all the dramas, female lead gets all the cute facial expressions but its quite opposite in this drama. jung il gets the role to express all the emotions. i didnt know he could be so funny.
The only thing i felt awkward was how come they made him to wear shorts. i mean long coat, formal shirt, tie with that shorts😂😂 why i mean why??? not sure whthr its a fashion thing in korea!
FEMALE LEAD: she doesnt have much role to play. she just looked like a doll till the end since all the acting part was done by jung il wook.
BORE OR NOT : no, its not at all boring. its funny and cute but some people might not like this kind of comedy. Some might find it lame or boring. Personally, i enjoyed it.
SUBTITLES: yea it was messed up around epi18. its not completely disabled. only few sentences are not subbed for me but definitely we can figure out wats happening. its not that bad.
WORTH A TRY: yes yes yes. This is not something that u started off and felt bored and wanna drop it halfway. even if u feel bored, u can definitely watch till the end coz its really short. Technically, u are not really wasting much of ur time. u can complete it in a day or two.
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Graceful family is a play on words for the reality of the family that Mo Seok Hee is coming back to---dysfunctional and cut-throat is a more accurate description of the family. However, Seok Hee is the graceful rose in the family---strong, undeterred, determined, very smart, ambitious, and loyal to her grandfather. With Heo Yoon Doo, by her side, the tandem becomes an unstoppable force that uncovers the reason for her mother's death/murder and helps bring to an end the evil of MC empire's TOP organization. What a fight it was. The icing on the cake was that the lead couple finds a little romance on the way to one of the BEST endings to a crime-solving drama that I have ever seen. The emotions at the end fell over a large gradiant------from the satisfaction of justice being served in spectacular fashion, to the horror of certain truths being revealed, to appropriate and many warm celebrations, to many moments of sadness from the aftermath of so many storylines coming to their condign endings. There is even an element of surprise at the end due to the lead couple's own personal choices and decisions about their future; however, when it was all concluded, the drama had a satisfying ending filled with hopeful expectations.Congrats to my girl Im Soo Hyang who has grown up so prettily before us all. She played a teenager in "Five Enough" and was impressive. She played a coming-of-age young college adult in "My ID is Gangnam Beauty" and she was remarkable. Now she has fully grown up and is playing a very beautiful, force-of-nature, young woman who is determined to find her place in her family and take what is rightfully hers by inheritance. She makes the wrongs of the MC Group right and she finds justice for her mom. This was a coming-out story for a confident woman in waiting------and the party at the end was just fabulous!!!!!!!
Well written, well-acted, and well worthy of all the high ratings and praise for being a very entertaining drama.
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I’ve watched a few high-school romance dramas in my time, but this is 100% my new favourite. The plot up until the last couple of episodes is totally unique from any of the others I’ve watched, with the whole premise of the characters being stuck in a romance comic creating interesting dynamics and challenges for the characters. Much of the plot I couldn’t predict, and there were a lot of surprising twists in the story that kept me wanting to watch more. I also loved the satire of a lot of the high-school romance cliches that I’d seen repeatedly through the “main characters” of the comic, as it made the show fun to watch even when things started to get serious. The past comic that they were in also added another layer of depth to the story by creating a mystery around who the characters really were.For an initially light-hearted drama, the story also raised and explored a lot of questions surrounding fate and whether we have free will in a nuanced way. I might be looking a bit too deep into it, but to me the “writer” represents life, which gives us an unpredictable and sometimes unfair fate. While some are determined enough to be able to change their fate, often we’re unable to. I believe that the story ultimately tells us that while this may be the case, we can only make the most of the time we have and the moments we share with other people.
One of the other main reasons why I love this drama so much is Eun Dan Oh and Ha Ru’s relationship. In my opinion, it’s the best relationship I’ve seen depicted in a drama, and the chemistry between them made it feel so real. While I usually have bad second-lead syndrome (Seojun from true beauty cough) and tend to root for the second-lead, Ha Ru was so caring and their relationship was so adorable that I was rooting for them until the end. Even when I started to like Baek Gyeong, I couldn’t root for him as Eun Dan Oh and Ha Ru were each other’s perfect counterparts. He balanced out her big energy with his calm and gentle nature, and she brought out a more fun and cheerful side of him at the same time.
Eun Dan Oh is probably my favourite female lead that I’ve seen, as she was as assertive as she was bubbly, which was refreshing to see in the protagonist. She wasn’t perfect, and could often be self-centred, but was more relatable as a character for that reason, and was incredibly loveable anyway. Baek Gyeong’s character development throughout the story was executed really well, as I initially despised him, but came to sympathise with and even like his character by the end. Lee Do Hwa was also one of my favourite characters in the series, as I loved his sarcastic commentary on his stage character and his affection towards the others.
That being said, there are some issues with the show that I believe mean that it’s not 10 stars. There are a lot of things that occur that raise questions that are never answered, such as the green black hole that appears randomly. While I understand that not everything has to have an explanation, there were a lot of strange things such as that that I felt were unresolved by the end. Even the ending itself doesn’t feel very resolved, as they just end up in another comic book world, which makes it feel less satisfying. I also think that the story ironically becomes classic and mostly predictable by the end of the series, with Baek Gyeong being the exact same male second-lead that had initially been critiqued. Even Ha Ru disappearing again was predictable, as the same thing had happened multiple times already, and I could tell what the ending was going to be by that point. I also think that the “female lead” of the comic choosing the first lead over Lee Do Hwa was disappointing, as I believe that she had way more chemistry with Lee Do Hwa, and an opportunity to go against the cliche ending was missed.
So overall, I loved this show, and it has a special place in my heart as one of my favourite k-dramas. However, I can only give it 9 stars out of 10 as I felt that the plot started to falter by the end episodes
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CONCEPT: Contract marriage. This aspect of the show was a good hook for getting the two main leads together.
WRITING: Unfortunately, this is where it went a little wrong for me. I had a hard time with the reasoning for the guy to leave her after eight years of being together. Once the contract marriage was in effect, the main leads got together too quickly and we weren't actually able to see the progression of their feelings for one another. This could have been remedied by leaving out the wasteful man-crazy friend and her relationship issues. Also, the end of every episode showed more of the female lead's back story with the original boyfriend. That would have been good if the show had been longer, but here it actually meant that we had more about the old relationship than the new.
ACTING: The acting was good. I have to say that the female lead was beautiful and she was a lovely crier. I did have a bit of a problem with the male lead and the ex-boyfriend looking so much alike.
MUSIC: I have to say that I don't actually remember any of the music.
REWATCH VALUE: As I was watching this, I realized that I had seen it before and had not remembered it.
OVERALL: It was a cute show that didn't take much time. It was a show to watch between better shows.
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I've read online reviews on this drama that say it doesn't have enough angst, that it plays like an American medical drama (sort of a Grey's Anatomy). My response to these criticisms is - once in a while a viewer would like to have a stress-free viewing experience instead of the emotional turmoil caused by meddling love rivals, meddling parents and the insanity called 'noble break ups'. That being said, ‘Doctors’ did not lack emotion/conflict/suspense. It had plenty with the power struggles, patient issues and the doctor relationships. The leads’ relationship was not smooth sailing although certainly not as angst filled as other dramas. Both characters had to learn how to involve the other in their life – in other words, don’t shoulder the burden alone.I absolutely loved ML. He was so upbeat, good-humored, cheerful and smiles, smiles, smiles! He could be playful and just plain FUN! As soon as he and FL meet again after a 13 year separation, he pretty much makes his intentions known. He immediately asks her if she's married or has a boyfriend. Shortly afterwards, he's plowing full steam ahead, suggesting they date - no mixed messages here. I guess he didn’t want to see her ride off on the back of a motorcycle again. Still, he did hide his troubles with a smile so he wasn’t always forthcoming. This is a complaint the FL had early on that caused them to give each other the silent treatment for a couple episodes. Considering the fact that FL was a prickly pear whenever he involved himself in her problems, she really had no leg to stand on. It was the pot calling the kettle black.
I liked FL despite her flaws. She was too obsessed with grandma's death - let it go, girl! - and her ‘chip on the shoulder’ attitude was annoying at times. Nevertheless, I liked her calm, no nonsense demeanor and her confidence - she didn’t back down when faced with difficult decisions/situations. However, you could tell that ML was the wiser, more mature partner in this relationship. He advised her rightly to stop seeking revenge. Her stubborn tenacity was annoying, and I wanted to smack her around episode 16-17. She had strength, but she wasn’t wise. Her rash behavior towards Jin caused Ji Hong to accept consequences on her behalf. What a guy! Noble but not ‘stupid’ noble.
Now Seo Woo...what can I say? Massive inferiority complex. She was also incredibly immature. This immaturity is seen in episode 8 when she feels unjustly reprimanded for her comments during an 'awake' surgery. ML is absolutely right - doctors should remain calm so as not to panic the patient. Rather than liking men who like her, she goes up to whoever she likes and declares that they're going to be hers, which doesn't work out so well for her. Both Ji Hong and Yoon Do are men that know their own minds. Did Yoon Do deserve to be slapped silly? Yeah, he's a pompous ass at times but come on! I'm glad the scriptwriter didn't allow him to end up with her bc I just didn't see them as a couple. Frankly, I don’t think Seo Woo deserved ANY of the guys in this drama.
Yoon Do and his ‘homeless heaven’ added amusement. I’m surprised that a person called ‘knife’ at work would allow the ‘beagles’ to take over his home. Guess his bark is worse than his bite. I really liked In Joo once she ‘grew up’ and got over her crush on Ji Hong. Kang Soo was such an adorable puppy. He’s got the best blonde dye job I've seen on a Korean male. It actually looked good on him. Hated it when he had to shave off his lovely locks. Soon Hee should have kept the dark hair, but she played the bubbly BF well, and I thought her relationship with Joong Dae was cute. I could have done without all the old dudes and their power struggle, but I guess it added filler and intrigue.
Eye roll moment: I really had a hard time believing that both kids (episodes 13-15) had brain tumors at the same time. That’s scriptwriter overkill.
Favorite scene: end of episode 6 - ML dances in the rain and then gets FL to dance with him. Some online reviewers didn't like the 'awkward' kiss at the end of their dance, but it's supposed to be awkward since FL is panicking and pulling away. Future kisses made up for it!
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Choi Jin Hyuk is tall, handsome, and he has this crazy deep voice. I have seen him in a few dramas and he does not disappoint. It was my first time seeing Song Ha Yoon in anything related to TV or film but boy is she really, really good. She is a compact explosion of great beauty with immense empathy; she also has a great smile and laugh. The two leads had an enormous and scintillating on-screen chemistry that was constantly displayed in their playful and loving exchanges.
Jin Hyuk revealed his many talents besides acting; he has a major song that he sings as a primary track in the series entitled "Forgotten." I also loved the song by U-Mb5 entitled "Took Took." Finally, the characters played by Lee Ho Won and Lee Joo Yeon were super cute and complemented the lead characters in helping to make this story very entertaining and a real winner. You will certainly enjoy watching this drama and it will warm your heart.
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This is such a beautiful drama. At some points it felt like a comedy and at some like a romance. But this drama is different because it not just teaches us concepts like true love or sacrifice but also tells us never to give up and have faith. Eun Ha Won's character was so pretty, a tomboy kinda girl with a heart of gold. I really found myself in her because I'm kinda like her too lol. Seo Woo is my favourite character because he's the only person who hasn't made me angry even once throughout the drama. This has again a beautiful ending, a typical "and they lived happily ever after" kinda. In the beginning I strongly shipped Hyeon Min and Ha Won because they were kinda made for each other and tbh I was very upset when I found out that both of them had feelings for someone else, but gradually I was happy with the new ships and at the end of the drama I was very satisfied. Secretary Lee is again a marvellous character who has never disappointed us (though he conspired against the chairman but we know that in the end it was all for the sake of Haneul Group). I'm just a bit sorry for Seo Woo because he's the only one who was left out without a girl and got his heart broken but even he was happy so yes it's a fabulous ending that I enjoyed. Do watch this, I'm sure you will love it too Was this review helpful to you?
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After watching the first episode I was so hyped that I just couldn't stop watching it until it finished! There are many things that I loved at this drama (e.g. the ghosts, the side characters, the mystery and fantasy elements, the monk, the stories behind each ghost etc.) but also some that slightly bothered me (e.g. after the female lead woke up she wasn't that badass anymore as she was as a ghost, the last episode was lacking and their romance somehow wasn't as interesting, even started to think that she doesn't deserve Bong Pal or their ghost hunting club, I really hoped that they would continue their job after she woke up , or her mom... I understood at first why she was acting like that but later on it annoyed me so much etc.). Loved Bong Pal's character, his personality, his way of being. Tough his ghost killing started by saving money to repair his eyes at the end it turned into giving peace to the dead (as the monk said why he does exorcism). They helped many good ghosts to find peace. Their backstories sometimes broke my heart (e.g. the ghost child). The way he meets the female lead is definitely funny, laughed so much. It was a pleasure to see how they started to fall in love and how Bong Pal's heart started to open up for her ( he cooked for her, bought the dress she wanted, took care of her etc. ) The fact that he met the two crazy sunbae's helped him to be a more sociable person and their teamwork was also on point (even tough Bong Pal did the dirty job). They actually made me laugh so much each time I saw them, they were like the pepper and salt in this drama. Loved the fighting scenes. The ghost were absolutely amazingly made and in the same time so creepy, some of them scared the s out of me. :)) At first I really hated the professor, the way he could mask his evilness just stunned me, I cannot believe how many people and how easily he could kill just to get what he wanted; however at the end I felt pity for him because he wasn't a bad person, he at first wanted to protect her mom from her abusive father but after the evil spirit went into him and killed his downfall started. His mom shouldn't have pushed him far from her, I think that also contributed to his dark side. I was really happy to see that at the end he forgave his mom and she realized her mistake and started acting like a caring mother. The monk was an another favorite character. He was always trying to protect Bong Pal, he would have even give his life for him. I was so glad when Bong Pal asked him to move in with him and thought of him as a family member. The pace of the episodes are really good, I didn't felt draggy at all. Sometimes there were so many things happening in one episode that it kept me hooked. It was a pleasure to watch this drama, laughed and cried a lot , I enjoyed each episode! Definitely worth watching! (sometimes with the lights on) Was this review helpful to you?
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